Lectio
Luke 18:1–8
Meditatio
“… pray always without becoming weary.”
How can a person “pray always”? Don’t we need to go about our daily lives, fulfilling our obligations, using our mind to its full potential? If we are occupied, how can we “pray always”? Jesus is not suggesting that we spend all our time in prayer. Instead, he is encouraging us to pray, to keep on going, and to nurture our relationship with him even when we feel weary. We don’t want to give up on God, because he never gives up on us and pursues us as a smitten lover would. We don’t want to let shame lead us away from God, because he loves us unconditionally. We don’t want to turn away from God, because he doesn’t turn his back on us and is always gently guiding our eyes toward him.
When we find prayer to be easy, we imagine never giving it up. But when we come to rocky and tumultuous times of prayer, it is difficult to sustain conversation with God. Yet the saints and mystics unanimously urge us never to lose heart. We need to persevere even when we feel nothing, when we are angry at God, when we are bored, and when our interests pull us in an entirely different direction. Through it all, we must not grow weary but remain faithful to prayer, convinced of God’s unfailing love and fidelity. Prayer can take many forms, whether it is the prayer of the Church (liturgical prayer) or private devotion. Our prayer may be long, or it may consist of brief conversations with the Lord. We can raise our hearts to praise God for a grace received, for the beauty of creation, or to ask for favors. We can pray for ourselves, and we can bring to God the needs of others. Above all, we may always ask God to give us the gift of prayer—the gift of enjoying a familiar, loving, and grateful relationship with him.
Oratio
Lord God, may you be praised for the beauty of dawn and sunset. Lord God, help those people who are suffering due to natural disasters. Lord God, grant that my family may be safe. Lord God, I love you and praise you! Amen.
Contemplatio
“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).
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ORDINARY GRACE Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections (By the Daughters of St. Paul)
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